"E-Edward?" I sob into the phone.
"Bella?" He asks worriedly, his engine purring in the background.
"C-come and get me?" I cry, curling into a tighter ball. He guns the engine.
"Where are you, Bella? What happened? Are you hurt?" He growls but the concern in his voice is deep.
"B-Behind… my house… in the w-woods." I choke out.
"I'm coming, Bella, please talk to me. What happened? Do you need Carlisle?" He asks and I hesitate.
"Yes… bring Carlisle… Charlie… h-he. Edward he…" I can't bring myself to say it.
"Sssh, it's okay Bella. Whatever happened I'm almost there. You're safe now, love. No one will hurt you again. I'm at your house now, getting out of the car." After a few seconds, I feel a pair of hands on me and scream loudly. "Sssh Bella, it's just me. I won't hurt you, I promise." Edward coes, right beside me. I cry in relief, grabbing his hand. "Can I lift you up, love? I can run with you to the house so Carlisle can examine you, it will be faster than waiting for him to come here." He asks gently. I nod, breathing out relieved as his cold arms come in under me and lift me up gently. He hums quietly for me as he runs, the rumbling in his chest soothing me a little.
"Bella?" Carlisle exclaims worriedly and when I look up from Edward's chest I realize we are in his office now. He tries to touch my head gently, but I scream and jerk away. "I won't hurt you, sweetheart. You need to calm down, please Bella." He says in the same tone someone would use to calm a scared animal.
"C-Carlisle?" I sob and he nods, smiling gently at me. I nod a little for him to go on, and he slowly examines my head.
"You have pretty bad wounds here, can you tell me what happened?" He asks calmly and I look up at Edward, who's still holding me.
"C-Charlie… he… I… Jacob..." I shake my head, then whimper at the pain of doing so.
"Sssh it's okay, you don't need to tell me right now. Can you tell me where it hurts?" Carlisle asks instead.
"My head and back and stomach." I sob and he nods understandingly, gently continuing to examine me. Once he has checked all of these places he looks gently, caringly at me.
"Is there somewhere else it hurts?" I nod a little. "Did they do something else then hit you?" He asks again and I nod a little, ashamed but knowing he needs to check. "May I look if he did any damage, Bella?" He asks kindly and I gulp but nod.
"Do you want me to leave?" Edward asks and I grip him desperately, shaking my head. He caresses my hair softly. "Then I'll stay here with you, I promise not to look, okay?" He asks caringly and I nod. He lays me down gently on the hospital bed Carlisle keeps in his office, then he takes my hands in his and I cling to him for dear life.
"Bella, I will guide your legs into positions and tell you everything I'm about to do before I do it, okay?" I nod a little as Carlisle adjusts my legs. "If you ever feel uncomfortable or scared, just tell me and I'll stop." He assures me and I nod a little again, keeping my eyes on Edward's. I try to ignore Carlisle's very gentle but still painful examination by losing myself in the liquid amber.
"Bella?" Carlisle calls for my attention after a while and I snap out of my refuge.
"Yes?" I whisper hoarsely.
"Are you okay? I think we lost you for a few minutes there. Do you feel scared? We can stop if you need or we can ask Jasper to help with your emotions if you want?" He suggests and I nod a little.
"I was just trying to… disappear for a while, but c-could Jasper help with my emotions?" I ask quietly and Carlisle smiles gently at me, nodding. Slowly a sense of warmth, security and love fills me. I instantly feel myself relax slowly. "Thank you, Jasper," I whisper and look deeply into Edward's eyes. "Just get it over with, Carlisle," I add and he continues. After a while, he places my legs back on the table and stands up.
"I'm done now, do you want to hear?" He asks and I hesitate, then I shake my head.
"Not yet," I whisper and he nods understandingly.
"I need to bandage the wounds on your head and torso, but if you'd like you can take a shower first?" He suggests and I nod eagerly. "Could someone help you in the shower? I don't want you to fall." He asks gently and I nod again.
"Esme?" I whisper hopefully and he smiles gently.
"She'd be happy to." He assures me, and then he nods to Edward. Edward lifts me up carefully and carries me into his room.
"I love you, Bella. I will stay here while Esme helps you with your shower, okay?" He asks gently and I nod.
"I love you too," I whisper and he smiles gently.
"Good."
Esme comes in and helps me gently into the shower.
"If you need to talk, know you can talk with me, sweetheart." She whispers as she helps me. I nod and hug her tightly.
"Thank you," I whisper and she hugs me gently, rubbing my back soothingly until I calm down a little more. She then helps me shower, scrubbing me thoroughly and only stopping when I say it's fine. It's like she knows I feel dirty. When I'm showered and dressed again she leads me out to the bedroom. Edward smiles gently and opens his arms for me.
"I missed you." He whispers as I throw myself into his arms, cuddling in as close as possible.
"I love you," I whisper as he lays down, tucking the comforter around the both of us.
"I love you too." He whispers and I sigh contently. "Sleep a little, love. Jasper will help to keep you calm and I will be here to keep you safe." He assures me and I relax a little more.
"Thank you," I whisper and he begins to hum my lullaby.
Jakob is holding me down. The pack and Charlie are laughing loudly behind him.
"No! Let go of me! Edward! Edward, please!" I yell over and over but it doesn't stop him.
"Bella, Bella, Bella," someone chants and I try to struggle out of the hold.
"Edward! Let go of me!" I yell and jerk awake. The room is filled with growls.
"Edward?" I whisper nervously, the pitch-black room freaking me out.
"I'll keep him away from you, Bella," Rosalie growls. I crawl into a smaller ball and try to stop crying.
"I-I know I'm dirty but please, I need him. Please Rosalie," I beg desperately and the growling stops.
"I'm right here, love," Edward whispers. I reach my arms out towards his voice but he is too far away.
"Do you want him near you?" Rosalie asks and I nod desperately.
"Edward, please," I whisper and in my next breath, I'm cradled to his cold chest. I grip his shirt desperately and try to melt myself into his body. I don't want him to leave me.
"Ssh, love. I'm here, you're safe. It was just a dream," he whispers soothingly as he rocks us back and forth.
"Please don't leave me, I know I'm broken but please just- I can be better, I promise," I ramble and he silences me with a finger against my lips.
"You are not broken, Bella. I would never leave you, I love you so much." The light in the room turns on and stare deeply into Edward's eyes and find him completely sincere. I nod a little and rest my head against his chest. He hums and rubs my back gently.
"Bella, could you tell us what happened?" Carlisle asks and I snap my head around to see all of the Cullens by the door. I gulp and shy further into Edward's embrace.
"Okay, I was over in La Push with J-Jakob and he kissed me," my eyes snap up to Edward's, "I swear I didn't want to! I tried to get away but he was too strong and I couldn't-"
"Ssh, it's okay. I know you wouldn't have kissed him. Please go on, love," he assures me and I nod after a few seconds.
"I hit him and he got mad but drove me home. I-I ran inside to call you but Charlie stopped me, asking what was wrong. I told him he kissed me and that I broke my hand by punching him and h-he," my sobs get louder and Carlisle sits down beside us on the bed, gently taking my hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly.
"You're safe now, could you tell us the rest?"
I gulp and nod. "Charlie congratulated J-Jakob." Loud growls fill the room and Edward buries his face in my hair. I relax slightly, knowing they don't agree with Charlie. "T-then he yelled at me for hitting J-Jakob. H-he shoved me outside and told us to resolve our problem before bothering to come back. J-Jakob grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the woods. P-Paul was there and he went on and on about me being a 'leech lover'. T-they started hitting and yelling a-and-" I shake my head and bury it in Edward's rumbling chest.
"It's alright, Bella. You don't need to tell us. How did you call us?" Carlisle distracts me, his chest also rumbling but with a much more quiet growl.
"P-Paul dropped his phone," I whisper and he nods in understanding.
"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe, okay?"
"Okay," I nod and he squeezes my shoulder gently.
"Those mutts are dead," Emmet growls dangerously and when I cast a glance at him, I see a real vampire and can't stop my shivering.
"I'm with you," Jasper adds and something seems even more dangerous about him.
"Not without me," Edward snarls and I cling tighter to him.
"No, don't leave me," I plead and look up to meet his eyes. They soften when they see my panic before nodding.
"Alright, I'll stay here and keep you safe. Emmett and Jasper can handle the pack of mutts," he says and I relax slightly before frowning.
"D-don't kill all of them, please? The others are innocent," I whisper and the growls in the room increase.
"I promise I'll see to it only those who were involved are punished," Carlisle assures me and I nod, burying my face in Edward's shirt again.
"What do we do about Charlie?" Emmett asks and I tense.
"P-please don't make me go back there," I plead Carlisle, staring wide-eyed at him.
"Of course not, you can stay here for as long as you want. This is your home too, Bella," he assures me and I exhale relieved. "Do you want to speak with Charlie?"
"No, I don't w-want to see him a-again," I mumble and Edward holds me tighter.
"That's fine, sweetheart. Is it alright if I call Charlie and tell him what happened? I would like to have a word with him?" A slight growl comes out with Carlisle's words.
"Okay, but I don't want to see him or hear him."
"You won't. I think we should move on. People are starting to notice how young Carlisle looks anyway," Edward states.
"C-can we do that? I don't want to be in Forks anymore," I ask hopefully, looking at the others and they nod.
Carlisle POV:
The fact that someone hurt another of my daughters this way makes rage burn inside me. Her fear when I examined her yesterday… the damage, the trauma. I find myself growling loudly as I pace back and forth in the woods outside our house. I don't want to scare Bella with my temper but the fact that Charlie congratulated the mutt for forcibly kissing her, made her so scared she was forced to punch him… I want to kill him and Jakob.
"Carlisle, dear?" My sweet mate comes over to me and I open my arms, relishing in how her touch brings me some much-needed calm. "Can we call Charlie together? I want to speak with him too," she growls quietly and I nod, fishing up my phone. I call his number and he picks up on the second signal.
"Cheif Swan."
"Hello, this is Carlisle-" I begin but he interrupts me, forcing me to choke down a growl.
"Have you seen Bella? She didn't come back last night," he asks but his voice is filled with anger instead of much-needed concern.
"Well, that is actually what I am calling about. Bella called Edward last night in tears, barely able to speak full sentences-"
"Don't believe what the brat says. She is just upset she has feelings about Jakob," he snaps and I take a deep, calming breath.
"Jakob and his friend Paul raped Bella. She has broken several ribs, has a serious concussion and a lot of vaginal tearing as well as bruises," I state, choosing to ignore his previous response. I'm met with complete silence.
"Charlie?" I ask after a couple of minutes.
"Have you seen the injuries yourself?" He asks, his voice hoarse.
"Yes."
"Oh God," he chokes out. "I forced her to- I just thought she felt guilty for cheating... I was just so happy that Jake-"
I clear my throat and continue.
"Bella has expressed that she doesn't want to see or hear from you anymore and we are going to be moving away from Forks soon as she thinks it's too painful to be reminded all of the time."
"Please, Carlisle. Let me speak to her, I didn't think they would ever-
"It doesn't matter what you thought or wanted! Your daughter came home injured and crying when a boy tried to force himself on her and you congratulated him! What kind of father are you? What kind of police chief are you?" I roar and Esme quickly takes the phone from me as I start to growl.
"Charlie, we will pass along your apologies to Bella but you will respect her decision not to talk to you. Don't ever come near us again or we will file for a restraining order," with that she hangs up.
"We'll take care of her," I assure her when I see her venom-filled eyes.
"Yes, we will but I'm upset she was put through the same as Rosalie and me. I had hoped fate spared her from such cruelty," she whispers, sinking into my open arms. I rest my chin on top of her head.
"I had hoped so too but she is strong, you all are. She will be fine."